A scale for assessing a Product Manager’s skill-set
I was recently interviewed by a student interested in a product career, and when asked what makes a great product manager, two archetypal characters from one of my all-time favorite stories came to mind. Han Solo & C-3PO (from Star Wars NOT Star Trek) appeared at opposite ends of a spectrum. I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought of this before, but often being in the hot seat makes the brain work in different and surprising ways. An argument lasting a millisecond took place, during which I asked myself Why Han Solo and not Luke Skywalker? Why not Princess Leah? Allow me to explain.
George Lucas drew from a deep well of cultural sources, so it comes as no surprise that many of the characters in the Star Wars series are built around timeless archetypes we humans have been using in stories to make sense of ourselves and our universe. Luke Skywalker is clearly the hero archetype of the film, as well as the chosen one, with magical powers. But I must say, while I related to him somewhat—what kid doesn’t want magic powers?—let’s face it, he was a bit of a whiner.
Han Solo, serving as a foil for Luke’s character, was also a hero, but of a different sort. As defiant and rebellious as he was, he always managed to complete the mission in a creative way, reacting to circumstances as they unfold. Yes, he does nearly get his compadres on occasion, but he maintains a steady hand, a lighthearted attitude, and his eyes on the prize. Han was more businessman than artist, and Luke was all artist.
Let’s talk for a moment about C-3PO’s character archetype. C-3PO and his sidekick R2-D2 represent a few character archetypes. Without a doubt they serve as jesters providing comic relief. They also serve as heralds, warning our heroes about upcoming challenges they will soon face. But C-3PO also represents the logical man, separated from the emotion that is often hinders the hero archetype, getting them in big trouble, but also leading them to glory. This logical, rational character type is what is most compelling about C-3PO. As an android, he lacks empathy for the humans he works for, and is driven by protocol software that determines his reactions to situations.
So how does it relate to product management?
In our day to to day experiences as product people, we must draw on qualities of both Han Solo and C-3PO, but not in equal measures. After all, we do not operate in a vacuum. We are often working with many different stakeholders, both internal and external, each with their own point of view and with different needs. Often we find there are different vocabularies that are much like the alien languages and dialects we find in the Star Wars universe. (I’m looking at you, acronyms!)
Within a single day we may transition between a Han Solo and a C-3PO mode as we go in and out of meetings with designers one minute, engineers the next, not to mention high-level strategy with executives. We take the best parts of both and put them to use depending on the situation and the audience.
If we are too much like C-3PO, then we bog ourselves down in the mire of politics, become crippled by logical decision making, and we end up looking to please everyone. In other words, we become a protocol droid.
If we are too much like Han Solo, we alienate people with our stubbornness, put ourselves and our teams in jeopardy by taking too much risk, and take too much credit. Go too far down the Han Solo path, and you end up frozen in carbonite, hanging on the wall in Jabba the Hut’s palace as a trophy. The perfect product manager is the right blend of the two, at the right time. Sometimes we may be called upon to mediate a heated argument between co-founders, executives or peers. We naturally put on our C-3PO hats to understand the needs being expressed by both parties, and work to arrive at a conclusion. In a time of crisis, we invoke the spirit of Han Solo to think quickly on our feet, adapt to changes rapidly, and all the while maintaining our sense of humor.
In summary
As you’re on your own hero’s journey in your product management career, you’ll want to work on being a blend of Han Solo and C-3PO. To avoid being frozen in carbonite by your enemies, or being dismembered by being a defenseless pushover, you’ll need the following mix of traits and skills:
- Pure courage and bravado
- A sense of humor and perspective
- Ability to think fast on your feet
- Creative problem solving skills
- Negotiation skills
- Willingness to gamble and put your reputation on the line (take smart risks, not dumb risks)
- Ability to translate the needs of different constituents, and map your communication style and content to the audience
- Ability to get your hands dirty to achieve the goal
- Have a gigantic hairy sidekick (just making sure you’ve read this far!)
May the force be with you. (if you’re into that voodoo)
